Oculus (2013)

Oculus is a nail biting thrill ride which artfully takes us on a complex journey of the two main characters and it charts how their lives have morosely ended up at this salient moment in time. We are frequently taken back to the past and brought back to the present with an ease that defines the characters and the film. There is little in the way of location and this adds to the desperation of the characters as they live out their lives constrained by an evil power. The whole cast are exceptional and their performance draws you deeper and deeper into the film, and has you mentally willing to help these poor souls in anyway you can. The direction and script are outstanding and intelligent without being all smart ass! An excellent movie and a must for movie fans who enjoy losing themselves in film.

Fmovies: This was really not that bad for a horror movie. The whole mirror monster sort of thing has been done before but what made this movie refreshing to me was the complete mind trip that was going on throughout the movie. I spent more than like 3/4ths of the movie utterly confused yet it made sense by the end. It was all over the place but slowly, I was able to piece things together. I personally thought it had the right amount of horror that it was actually able to make me jump at some parts without being too cringe worthy like most horror films are. Also, I was impressed with what was done despite the simplicity of the film. Tons of thrills, tons of fun. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this.

As good as the Shining was something I said to all around me as soon as the picture ended.

Brilliantly conceived and executed. Fast paced action + beautifully shot + not too gory + a cast of characters you really cared about all combined to make this the best experience of jumping and screaming and laughing I've seen from a bunch of experienced horror show aficionados I have ever seen.

Good performances from all including the kids. Very unpredictable and wholly inventive storyline. Even the cleverest plots and safeguards will not defeat the pure evil of the Oculus.

Very good effort from some brilliant and talented people.

Oculus fmovies. When I first read a slew of positive reviews in 2013 about Oculus, I really wanted to check it out. I really enjoy the horror film genre however it's a real cynical bunch of viewers ("not scary enough", "not enough gore", "this has been done before"), and with the reviews coming down like "never seen anything like this", I was interested and skeptical.

Oculus is a slow-burn. It's slow and keeps to this pace throughout the film. This isn't the Conjuring which is pretty much fast paced... this reminded me of a mix Last Exorcism of Emily Rose and perhaps the Orphanage. You will either get really interested in how creepy the film gets or not. You will either really dig the layers of how things work in the horror realm or try to poke holes through everything (ex: 30 ft safe radius).

The genius of Oculus isn't the concept (haunted mirror) but the screenplay of disjointed story telling and flashbacks mixing into a coherent and perhaps a complex story. Think of it like a toned down Inception. It's effective because you eventually feel and question what is reality and not.

This is above mediocre but perhaps not for the mainstream. It's a great refreshing horror film.

This film was fantastic. I was creeped out the entire time, right from the introduction of the mirror. There has always been something slightly disconcerting about staring into a mirror at night, half expecting someone to jump out from over your shoulder. This film captured the essence of this perfectly. There was not a lot of action, not much blood or violence, but just enough to scare the audience. Just when you think that you have the mirror figured out, something else comes around to make you think otherwise. It makes you wonder if the characters are just crazy, that none of the film is actually real. You will never know exactly what is going on. That is what made it such a well done horror film, backed up by great acting performances from both adults and children. If you enjoy horror films as I do, go to see this film, you will not be disappointed!

This is a classic ghost story.

I won't spoil anything, but for a haunted mirror movie, I found it VERY effective.

There are only really 6 people in the film. The parents, and the children at 2 different ages. The film is not really linear, and it took me a while to get the flow of the constant changing from today and yesterday. Once I got it, I found it very clever.

What impressed me the most, however, is that there is hardly any blood, no nudity, no profanity, no sex, no gore and it scared the crap out of me!

No, it doesn't reinvent the genre (can you even really do that with the haunted mirror genre?), but it is a well crafted, well acted movie that really kept my interest all the way through.

The young girl was especially effective.

The film starts off slow and methodical and really hits its stride about the half way mark.

We need more films like this. Smart, clever "little" films - a few characters, a few props and lots of chills and thrills.

Please see this!

8/10